so what's this all about?

a brilliant gamble

what is a brilliant gamble?

A Brilliant Gamble is all about a blended life. Making a living without forgetting to live. Doing work you love without sacrificing your soul. Being true to yourself without dropping out. Making a big splash without spreading yourself too thin.

True, that’s not how most people live their life. But why should that stop you taking the brilliant gamble on there being a much, much better way?

I can’t bear the thought that anyone would get to the end of their working life and wonder what it was all for. I frankly hate the idea that people would be so frustrated in their efforts to make a difference through their work that they eventually stop caring. I find it disappointing when people feel forced to give up on their true passion because of an obligation to get a ‘proper job’. I get angry when I see dedicated, talented people unable to do their best work because the organisation gets in the way.

And I know from personal experience how easy it is to get sucked in to thinking that all of this is normal.

Let’s rethink what work looks like. Whether you’re at a professional crossroads, whether you want to transform your business to really bring out the best in your people, or whether you’re just curious about what the future of work could look like, join one of my classes, sign up to a coaching programme, listen to the podcast, get inspired by the blog.

Work doesn’t have to be this way! And together we’re going to prove it!

about me, blaire palmer

I’m a former BBC Journalist and radio producer and for a decade I worked on some of the UK’s flagship news and current affairs shows. I now travel from AirBnB to AirBnB in a campervan with my daughter and two dogs, coaching individuals and teams and speaking about leadership, change and our own “Brilliant Gamble”.

How did that happen?

Although it had been my dream when I was a teenager to work in broadcasting, the reality was not what I imagined. At the age of 29 I felt burnt out and disillusioned. So I took my first gamble.

I left the BBC and became one of Europe’s first accredited Executive Coaches. I built my business over the next two decades until I became an authority in my field. Today I speak around the world on the future of leadership and the future of work and I coach leaders, entrepreneurs and individuals who want to grow and change. You can find out more about my corporate work at www.thatpeoplething.com

But all my research and insights brought me to a new crossroads in my own life, and triggered another brilliant gamble.

I had got in to some very bad habits. I was working 9 and 10 hour days, checking emails at the weekends and in the evenings, obsessing about work 24/7. Although I was “my own boss” I had been sucked into the Industrial Age conventions of work, just like my clients. I found myself working even harder in an attempt to make enough money so that I could stop working. What sort of a life is that?

So, for the last 2 or 3 years I’ve been actively unpicking the conventions of work in an attempt to reconfigure my own life so that it reflects my real priorities. I’ve “broken” a lot of rules. I’ve taken my child out of school to home educate so that we can spend more time together and I can be involved in her learning and growth. I’ve cut my working hours so that my day is far more flexible and aligned with my values.

And in 2018 I sold the house, bought the campervan and set off with my daughter and 2 dogs on a digital nomad adventure! For 12 months we will be location independent, moving around Europe as the mood and my work takes us. I’ve become a guinea pig in my own experimental quest to rethink the so-called rules of work, unpick as many of the assumptions about how work and life integrate as I can, and discover what the right blend of all my passions and priorities is.

And now I am working with individuals and groups who want to do the same.

Over the coming months you’ll find a range of different classes and coaching programmes available here. You can work with me in a variety of different ways whether that’s 1-2-1, as part of a coaching group and even a “self-service” option where you can access the tools and resources to help you at your own pace.

But here’s the bottom line. If you believe, as I do, that life is for living, that work matters and makes a difference but that it shouldn’t be so overwhelming that you are left with time and energy for little else, and that there must be a way to get the right balance between what you love doing, who you are and what other people need of you, then you’re in the right place!

Sign up for the newsletter, subscribe to the podcasts and, as soon as we are ready to launch, join one of our courses. It’s not a dream. It’s a plan.

"Thought-provoking, myth-busting, rib-tickling mind food"

"insightful, smart, witty and practical"

Blaire Palmer is at the forefront of new thinking about what it means to lead in the 21st century. In her keynote speeches she busts the myths of leadership and presents a more human, more authentic, more collaborative model of the leader of the future. Based on 15 years of working with Boards and senior teams as a coach and “agent provocateur”, Blaire shares her thought-provoking ideas with audiences around the world, inspiring them to step up and drive change in partnership with their people.

As one of the youngest female producers of the BBC’s flagship “Today Programme” Blaire spent a decade breaking stories and shaping the UK news agenda before her fascination with leadership and change led her to train as one of the UK’s first corporate coaches.

Since then she’s become a world authority on leadership, writing 3 successful books on the subject in the process and is regularly quoted in the media.

My books

Work isn't working. We all love to hate our jobs. Everyone moans about the same things: we're not listened to; we're not trusted; we spend our time in pointless meetings; we're weighed down by bureaucracy; we hate our boss; we're overloaded and work saps time and energy from the rest of our lives.

It shouldn't be like this. Work ought to be, and can be meaningful and fulfilling.

In What's Wrong with Work? Blaire Palmer shows how work can change. Confronting all the big problems head–on, the book shows what you can do about each one, to make work better for you and those around you, now.

Packed with case studies and tips, What's Wrong with Work? is essential reading for the modern office.

You're highly intelligent, very talented, super-enthusiastic and have the most brilliant ideas. But why do so many of your plans falter, why do you never seem to finish anything you start, why are you not as successful as you should be? The chances are you are 'hyper-creative'.

In this book Blaire Palmer defines this personality type. Explaining the terrific value (and the potential cost) of having such an imaginative mind, she shares a range of tried-and-tested practical strategies, which will enable you to turn your natural creativity in to your greatest asset.

If you've ever wondered what makes some people excel effortlessly at everything they do and why others languish forever in middle-management, Blaire Palmer explains all in The Recipe for Success.

Whether you are just starting out on your career or have already achieved significant professional success, this book will show you what it takes to leapfrog your competitors and make it to the very top. The book explains the 10 key ingredients of exceptionally successful individuals, some of which will surprise you, some of which will delight you and some of which may cause you to re-examine your ambitions. By combining these ingredients in your own unique way you will be able to create a recipe which will propel you to the top. Unlike other success books, The Recipe for Success gives you the insider secrets that no entrepreneur, CEO or best-selling author will tell you.